According to the Talmud, have the Jews been chosen
to exercise control and authority over the life and property of
non-Jewish people? Would this not be in utter contradistinction
of the liberal notion of the political and civil liberties of
the individual, something which is considered especially important
in Western liberal thought and tradition? Are the Jews superior
to non-Jews? If so, how does one begin to qualify this so that
it would not be viewed as racist and bigoted? I have referred
to Muslim professors of comparative religious studies on such
matters. They have given the mainstream Muslim ideas or beliefs
on what the Talmud says of non-Jews. I would now like to know
the Jewish view of such matters so that my research will be balanced.

Wassalam.

Ahmad Faiz bin Abdul Rahman

Research Officer, IKIM

Malaysia

Dear Ahmad Faiz bin Abdul Rahman,

Jews have not been chosen to control
other nations. Rather, we have been chosen to act as an example
of morality for the nations of the world and to instruct them
in the teachings of ethical monotheism.

As G-d states in the Torah:

"Now, if you obey Me and keep
My covenant, you shall be My special treasure among all the nations "

"And you shall be for me a kingdom
of priests and a holy nation "

"G-d has similarly declared
allegiance to you today, making you His special nation you
are called the priests of G-d, the servants of the Almighty..."

The emphasis, as you can clearly
see, is on being priests. Priests are not rulers or kings;
rather they are teachers and examples.